ALAN PARDEW has ordered his Newcastle United troops to start the new season in ruthless fashion – by flooring Premier League heavyweights Tottenham and Chelsea in their opening two matches.

The LMA and Premier League manager of the year knows that his Europa League-bound Magpies’ reputation as a top-five side won’t last long if they start the eagerly anticipated new term on a bum note.

And Pardew has warned his players that the top flight’s new faces will have a major impact with Brendan Rodgers hungry to succeed at Liverpool, Paul Lambert ready to do battle at Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur yet to unveil the man who they hope will lead them to the Champions League.

Pardew, who has already committed his future to United and is growing tired of suggestions he will take the reins at Spurs, was today firmly focused on the task in hand.

After being handed the new fixture list – which sees a home game with Spurs before a trip to Chelsea to kick the season off – Pardew told the Chronicle: “We will really have to be at the races from the start – and it’s going to be tough for us.

“But we can only build on what we achieved last season. The Premier League is going to be tougher. There are going to be new managers for two teams near us in Liverpool with Brendan Rodgers and at Spurs.

“One of them finished ahead of us last year and the other just behind us.”

Yet unlike last season when the Magpies finished streets ahead of the Reds and pushed Spurs until the last game of the season for a top four spot, Pardew firmly believed the chase of European spots will grow significantly next term.

He said: “You have Sunderland, Everton and Aston Villa who will come back stronger again. It makes it tougher.

“We’ll look to improve on previous campaigns. That’s a process every team will go through though including Man City and Man United.”

Pardew though admitted he can’t wait for the action to get back under way.

And despite having the job of balancing his squad for both the Europa League and Premier League, not to mention the Capital One Cup and the FA Cup, when asked if he was relishing the mission ahead, he said:

“Absolutely.

“We got that Europa League place because we were successful last year. We can’t moan about.

“Instead we look at this as a competition we want to do really well in.”

Meanwhile, United are not thought to be in the hunt for 28-year-old Montpellier man Henri Bedimo. But they remain hopeful they can win the race to sign Mathieu Debuchy from Lille despite interest from Chelsea.

With senior figures returning from their annual leave this week, Newcastle were bottoming out their pre-season plans.

The Magpies have already confirmed a training camp and tournament in Portugal next month with games against Olympiakos and FC Porto to go with an August friendly in Wales against Cardiff City.

Several more vacant slots remain in July with both European and home-based opposition being considered.

It is also believed that League One side Oldham Atheltic have offered the black and whites a friendly at Boundary Park.

The Latics completed the signing of Academy goal machine Dan Taylor yesterday with the Whitley Bay lad delighted to agree terms with former Arsenal and Manchester City star Paul Dichov.